1. These Directions are established by the Department for Youth of Taipei City Government to promote city-to-city diplomacy, drive the internationalization of Taipei City, and incentivize individuals of foreign nationalities to study Chinese in Taipei City under the principles of equality and reciprocity.

2. An individual of foreign nationality applying for a scholarship must comply with the Regulations Regarding International Students Undertaking Studies in Taiwan, other relevant regulations, and the provisions specified in these Directions.

3. The term “individual of foreign nationality” as mentioned in these Directions refers to an individual who does not hold Republic of China (R.O.C.) nationality and is not an overseas Chinese student.

4. Applications for this scholarship shall be handled by the Department for Youth; application regulations and cooperating university-affiliated Chinese language centers shall be announced by the Department for Youth in its annual application program.

5. In principle, ten scholarships are awarded each year. The number of scholarship recipients per country shall be capped to ensure that scholarships are awarded equitably among an optimal number of nationalities.

6. Each scholarship recipient shall receive a monthly stipend of NT$25,000 for 12 months. Each recipient may only receive the scholarship once.

7. Applicants must meet one of the following criteria to be eligible for the scholarship:
(1) Be a citizen of a sister city of Taipei who wishes to study Chinese in Taipei and has not been awarded another scholarship from Taiwan.
(2) Be a citizen of a sister city of Taipei who is enrolled in one of the cooperating Chinese language centers announced this year and has not been awarded another scholarship from Taiwan.

8. Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from the mayor of the sister city where they live along with their application; the mayor shall rank applicants in cases where multiple applicants are put forward from the same sister city.

9. The review procedure for this scholarship is as follows:
(1) The Department for Youth shall establish a committee to review scholarship applications. The committee shall be constituted by three to five members, one of whom shall be the convener and appointed by the Department for Youth from its personnel. No fewer than one-half of the remaining members shall be experts and scholars appointed by the Department for Youth from relevant fields.
(2) Review committee meetings shall be convened by the convener and may only proceed if a quorum of one-half of all members is present. Resolutions must be passed by a majority of members in attendance.
(3) The Department for Youth shall notify the scholarship recipients of the review outcomes in writing.

10. The disbursement and reimbursement procedures for this scholarship are as follows:
(1)The Chinese language center shall submit an invoice to the Department for Youth for payment and disburse the funds to the recipients enrolled at the center.
(2)At the end of the funding period, the Chinese language center shall submit a list of the scholarship recipients and their signatures acknowledging receipt of the scholarship to the Department for Youth and return any undisbursed funds.

11. Scholarship recipients shall cooperate in fulfilling the following matters:
(1)The recipient shall apply for student insurance for the duration of their scholarship grant.
(2)The recipient shall cooperate with exchange activities organized by the Department for Youth unless they have a valid reason for their inability to attend.
(3)Recipients must attend at least 10 hours of group classes per week. Recipients enrolled in one-on-one private lessons are responsible for additional costs and must remain in school during the scholarship period.
(4)After a scholarship has been approved, receipt of the scholarship may not be delayed or postponed.

12. If a recipient fulfils any of the following criteria, the Department for Youth may rescind or void all or part of the approved scholarship and require the recipient to return all or part of the scholarship. The Chinese language center at which the recipient is enrolled shall write to the Department for Youth with details of the recipient’s case.
(1)Missing more than 10 hours of class in a single month or having an overall grade of less than 80%.
(2)Having committed a serious violation of these Directions or other relevant regulations.
In the event the recipient is required to return the scholarship, the Department for Youth shall set a deadline for returning the money. Moneys returned shall include any interest or other derived income generated after receiving the scholarship.

13. The scholarship program shall be funded by the Department for Youth and donations from private groups, foundations, and corporations.

14. The formats of applications specified in these Directions shall be determined by the Department for Youth.